SPLIT-SCREEN FUN

Dennis LynchCHICAGO TRIBUNE

For years, the dream of high-tech couch potatoes has been to play computer games and watch TV simultaneously. Until now, tube-addicted computer nerds have faced such agonizing choices as, Seinfeld or Sim City? MTV or Minesweeper?

But thanks to a revolutionary product called PBTV3, computer gamers can now have the best of both worlds, for PBTV3 turns a computer into a full-featured, cable-ready television set.

PBTV3 stands for Packard Bell Television, and it consists of an add-in board with a TV tuner that you insert into your IBM PC or compatible. The video is provided by plugging your monitor into the board, while audio comes from plugs that lead to your speakers, sound system or headphones.

You'll also need to connect to an antenna, preferably a rooftop one. Even better, you can use a splitter to connect the add-in board to your cable TV system.

If you're the type who has trouble programming your own VCR, PBTV3 might sound a little intimidating, but it's surprisingly easy to install and operate. Less than 30 minutes after opening the box, I had CNN running on a window on my computer screen.

PBTV3 is able to take advantage of the windows multitasking operating system for IBM computers, so you can run several programs simultaneously.

Here's what my screen looks as I write this article: My word processor is taking up about two-thirds of the screen; another part of the screen displays the progress of my modem's downloading of a large game file from an online service; meanwhile, in another window my computer chess opponent is thinking of the next move; and, in a screen just a half-inch square, the White Sox are playing a crucial game. Now that's multitasking!

You might not think that you would be able to see anything in a window that small, but the stunning quality of PBTV3 means that I can easily keep an eye on the progress of my favorite team. Furthermore, I'm just a quick mouse click away from changing that small screen to a full-sized one.

Another surprise of PBTV3 is that its hardware requirements are not even as stringent as those of some new computer games. It will run on a 286 machine, though for best results you should use a 386 machine with 256-color capability. It has a street price of $300 to $400.

If until now your idea of multitasking has been to eat pretzels while playing Lemmings, then PBTV3 might just be the device that makes you give your screen a second look.

- If you're looking for the hottest new game to run under Windows, look no further than Conquer. This game of world conquest combines some of the best features of such classics as Empire and Risk.

You can compete against one to three other human or computer opponents. The computer opponents are surprisingly tough and the global maps change from game to game, so Conquest is dangerously addictive. One computer consultant paid the game the ultimate compliment when he said, "I was spending so much of my work time playing Conquest that I finally had to remove the game from my hard drive. It was just too tempting."

- Another new Windows offering worth considering for gamers is APBA Baseball for Windows. This faithful computerization of the ABPA board game has been around for a few years, but it has never looked or played better than in its Windows incarnation.

The game offers a stunning host of statistical options, including the ability to print out the leaders in more than 2,000 categories. There is also a sophisticated draft system. It's the next best thing to being at the ballpark, and with you at the helm the Cubs might even win.

- The Great Flood of '93 has caused all sorts of havoc, and now it has derailed the Nintendo Train. The Nintendo Train was a cross-country express scheduled to go from New York to Los Angeles, with a long stop in Chicago. The trip was to promote the new Game Boy version of Legend of Zelda, and World Nintendo Champions (yes, there are such people) were to be on board to compete against Just Plain Folks. But not even Zelda can cross the Mississippi with the bridges out. We'll let you know if the Nintendo train reschedules its Chicago whistle-stop.